Incapable of playing conservatively

[Lihu]

1 hour ago, saevel25 said:

Unless it's a 90 degree dogleg you typically get more room the further left you go. I presume 255 end of fairway is if you hit it down the middle. It could easily be 280-300 if you cut the corner more. 

Yeah, true.

Cutting corners is a very aggressive play with big rewards if you carry far enough, but at least 2 strokes of you miss.

Hard to say, how I would feel standing on that tee box? So, I suppose the right move is one where you don't feel inhibited by swinging your normal swing. If you have enough doubt that a full swing will end up in trouble, then play a different club that you can swing normally. This topic more or less in line with mental game issues. If you feel confident about a shot, you will execute it better.

"Shot Zones" in LSW makes the decision an analytical one. It turns the game into a logical decision rather than a feel based decision, and that in turn can add confidence in execution. You are thinking about where the ball is likely to land based upon your previous data rather than can I execute it "well enough" or not?

[saevel25]

6 minutes ago, Lihu said:

Yeah, true. Cutting corners is a very aggressive play with big rewards if you carry far enough, but at least 2 strokes of you miss.

Not really. It's playing your shot. In aiming this way am I not bringing in a big score because my shot zone is 80-90% of my shots. You really can't play golf assuming the worst. You just got to assume your reasonable expectations. In that regard, I will gladly take the 85% chance that I will end up not in the bunker, or not in the trees. 

My pick was aggressive, not super aggressive. I'm not putting 15-20% of my shot zone into the trees or the bunker here. If that was the case I wouldn't pick that option. 

 

[fr0sty]

On 5/1/2016 at 9:27 AM, DaveP043 said:

So how does a player hit a quality shot, once he's made a choice?  If you choose a "less challenging" shot, how do you maintain focus?  I'm assuming you've gone through all of your choices, evaluated your own abilities and frailties, and made the "right choice," and its not the high-risk high-excitement attention-grabbing choice.  In my mind, every shot needs the same attention to detail, the same focus, precise aim, visualization, all that.  How do you approach these shots?

Again, I try to hit aggressively, no matter whether I'm trying to carry a hazard at the edge of my ability, or whether I've decided to play short of a string of bunkers and hit the fat part of the fairway.  I still pick a specific target, visualize the arc of the ball, hit to a specific spot.  For those who have a pre-shot routine, follow that on the "low-tension" shots just as strictly as on the really demanding shots.

@DaveP043 has my number here. Secret may be committing to my routine a little more and find a way break the "aggressiveness <-> attention" connection and commit equivalent mental energy to each shot.

[DrvFrShow]

Also I have to look at the situation. Most of the par 5s I play are no longer than 475 yds. I can't hit my driver over 240 yds. except with an outlier. I have a pretty good chance of flaring a driver or hitting a less than optimal shot. I can hit it 30 yds off line and be in the trees.

On a hole like this there isn't any way I'm reaching the green in less than 3. Period. So why should I even hit driver here? 200 yds with a 4 iron down the middle. Second shot off the deck with a 5 iron for 175 yds leaves me 100 yds (GW) to the green. Three shots with clubs I know I can hit. Even if it's a 500 yd par 5, it's a 9 iron at worst. This would be the conservative and smart way to play the hole.

Where it gets interesting is if I get a wide fairway on a short par 5 (which is still a par 4 for you guys) with no trouble on the right and can hit my driver aggressively. Sometimes this leaves me < 180 yds to the green on a hole with a water hazard and bunker that I need to carry to land on the green. If I'm hitting the ball well, I'll go for it with a 5 iron. If not, I'll lay up with a 9 iron.